Electric fixture



J. F. PEDERSEN.

ELECTRIC FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.23, 1920.

Patented Oct. W, 11922.,

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JOHN F. PEDERSEN, OI RAGINE, WISCONSIN, AS SIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 ANDREW ASTRUIP, 0F RACINE, WISCONSIN.

ELECTRIC FIXTURE.

Application filed August 23, 1920. Serial No. 405,496.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that JoHN F. PEDERSEN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Fixtures; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in electric fixtures, and hasspecial application to electric current conducting elements such as flexible wire cords.

It is well known that there is a considerable tendency on the part of current conducting wires which connect various fixtures with wall sockets and other stationary sources of supply, to become badly tangled and snarled after more or less use. I have found that this disadvantage in the use of flexible conducting elements may be-entirely eliminated by permitting one section of the conducting element to rotate axially with respect to the other. Thus regardless of the use to which the fixture on the free end of the current conducting element is put, the element will always retain its full length and will remain untangled.

Consequently it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a suitable swiveled connection between the two parts of a current conducting element.

It is the further object of the invention to provide simply constructed means for permitting the electricity to readily pass through the connection between the different parts of the conducting element.

' With these general objects in view the invention resides in the novel features 01 construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional view through-a connection constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are inner plan views of the two main parts of the connection as indicated by the sectional line shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view illustrating the preferred means of collecting the current passing from one part of the connection to the other.

Figure 5 represents a view of a second form of collecting means.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, it will be seen that the invention consists broadly of a pair of connecting blocks 1 and 2 formed of porcelain or other insulating material, the same having central bores through which a shaft 3 is extended. Each of the blocks 1 and 2 are preferably circular in cross-section, and the block 1 has its bore of relatively large size to receive a metallic bearing member 4, the same having its opposite ends cupped as at 5 to provide ball races for hearing balls 6.

The shaft 3 has a cone 7 on one end which forms means in which a ball race may be formed for co-operation with the outer race 5 and the balls 6 thereof. The opposite end of the shaft 3 is screw-threaded, while its intermediate portion receives a cone 8 in which is formed a ball race for co-action with the inner ball race 5 and the balls 6 thereof. A lock nut 9 threaded on the shaft 3 engages the cone 8 and holds itand the several balls 6 of each of the sets thereof in co-operative relation so that when said threaded end of the shaft is screwed into the bore of the block 2, said blocks 1 and 2 will be eflectively and rotatably secured .secured thereto, the sameoverlapping the inner end portion of the other block to form a relatively tight joint between the connecting blocks 1 and 2.

The con-ducting element in which the connecting blocks 1 and 2 are disposed may be in the nature of a flexible cord, or part cord and part connecting plug as shown in Figure 1. In other words in the illustrated embodiment of the invention a flexible double wire cord C is connected to the block. 1, one of the wires of said cord being attached as at 13 to the metallic bearing member 4:, and the other wire to one end of a conductin rod 14?. This rod 14 extends through the b ock 1 and has its inner end engaged with a collecting ring 15 which is seated in a channel 16 formed in the inner face thereof and designed to coincide with a similar channel 17 in the like face of the other block 2.

This connecting block 2 carries a screw plug 18 on its outer end and has one of its points of contact electrically connected with the shaft 3 by means of a screw 19, its other point of contact bein connected with a conducting rod 20 which extends through the block 2 and has its inner end opening into the channel 17 in a manner similar to the rod let. This rod 20, however, is connected with a collecting spring 21 which, as shown in Figure 2, is arcuate and has its opposite or free ends en aged with the ring 15 at spaced points. ee Figure 4:.) Thus current may flow from one of the wires of the cord G through the bearing member 4, the'shaft 3, and the screw 19 to the plug 18,"a return being effected through the rod 20, the collecting spring 21, and the rod 1 1 to the other wire of said cord.

Other collecting means may be substituted for the spring 21 for connecting the plug 18 with the ring 15 as shown in Figure 5. In this modification, the conducting rod 20 is provided with a socket 25 in its inner end in which is disposed a plunger 26. In the head 27 formed on the inner end of the plunger is disposed a ball 28, and a spring 29 is located between the head 27 and the end of the conducting rod 20 so that the ball. is continuously merged into engagemamas ment with the ring 15. Electricity can thus flow as readily as in the case of the other means shown in Figure 4.

ll claim:

1. In an electric fixture, a connector block of insulating material having a conducting element extending therethrough centrally thereof, a second block having a metallic core and an outer portion of insulating material, said conducting element extending through said metallic: core and swiveled therein, said blocks having annular opposed slots formed in their opposed faces and concentric with said conducting element, a collecting ring secured in one of the slots, a brush in the other slot in contact with said ments extending from the ring and brush to the outside of the respective blocks.

2. In an electric fixture, a connector block of insulating material having a conducting element extending centrally therethrough, a second block having a metallic core and an outer portion of insulating material, said metallic core having ball races countersunk in the opposite ends thereof, said conducting element extending through said metallic core and having cones thereon cooperating with said ball races, means for adjusting the distance between the cones, additional conducting elements, one extending through each of said blocks and a collecting ring and brush forming a connection between the last named conducting elements.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing T have hereunto set my hand at Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin.

JOHN F] PEDERSEN. 

